


Girl Meets Fall Out

by DiscreetKitty



Category: Girl Meets World
Genre: F/F, Femslash, Friendship, LGBTQ Female Character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-20
Updated: 2019-09-20
Packaged: 2020-11-02 10:16:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,392
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20711600
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DiscreetKitty/pseuds/DiscreetKitty
Summary: Seventeen-year-old Riley Matthews feels depressed after losing both her best friend and her crush. After spending the summer escaping into Riley's World to cope with the heartbreak, she is unsure if she'll be able to deal with her former friends in the final year of high school. Will Riley be able to mend her friendship with Maya and start a relationship with Sarah?





	Girl Meets Fall Out

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I do now own Girl Meets World, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make money from the writing of this story.

Riley Matthews stood nervously at the steps of Abigail Adams High School, fidgeting with the hem of her fringed white blouse as she waited for her best friend, Maya Hunter, to join her. The two best friends always walked into school together on the first day of a new school year. This was a tradition that they started back in kindergarten and was determined to continue during the final year of high school. This was supposed to be Riley’s year of redemption after her junior year ended on such a sour note. She wanted to spend as much time with Maya as possible since they did not spend any time with each other during the last few months of the previous school year and over the summer break.

Riley knew that Maya was not purposely avoiding her. It was just that Maya’s life had changed so much in the last few years. Shawn Hunter had moved Katy Hart and Maya into a bigger apartment which meant Maya did not live close enough to Riley to take the subway with her. After Katy and Shawn wedded, they eventually had a little girl. Maya was so happy to have a little sister and spent a lot of time babysitting her. Shawn and Maya had become close and often took her to art shows and had her compete in several art contests. He even paid for Maya to take art classes at New York University. Riley was happy that Maya’s life had drastically improved. Unfortunately for Riley, Maya just no longer had the time to hang out with her like she used to.

When Riley spotted Maya across the lawn, Riley was surprised that she looked different. Maya was breathtaking with the way her new Texan tan made her blue eyes and blonde hair stand out. Her hair was perfectly curled around her face and her eyeshadow accentuated her eyes. She was wearing a tight-fitting black dress with a white Peter Pan collar. The dress hugged her hips and showed off her slender legs. The reformed bad girl looked like she stepped out a back-to-school issue of Seventeen magazine. To complement her look, she held her boyfriend’s hand as the two walked towards the school.

Riley was surprised that she felt nervous once Maya and her boyfriend waved to her. It had been too long since Riley had been around her friends. She was not sure if she was still the same likable person she was a year ago.

Unlike Maya, Riley’s skin was pale and her eyes were dulled from spending the summer locked up in her room. Her summer of isolation allowed her to explore new music, introducing her to 1960s teen-pop and giving her cravings for all things Lesley Gore.

“Riles!’ she heard Lucas Friar shout.

He walked up to her, opening his arms as if he wanted to hug her. He seemed so happy and Riley wished she could return the same happy welcome back. She could not. After having her heartbroken by her most recent crush, Riley could never return to her previous happy go lucky self. However, she could not let her friends know what happened so she decided that she was going to pretend that everything was fine.

“Lucas,” Riley said, accepting his hug.

She could feel his warmth as she pressed herself against his chest. She hated to admit that she missed him. She wished she had someone she could hold when she was upset. It would be foolish to make herself think about the moments the two shared especially since Riley knew her and Lucas would not have lasted. In her sophomore year, she was determined to live her life as truthfully and unapologetically as possible. If only she would have known that decision was followed by hurt and pain. Now, the seventeen-year-old had matured enough to learn that living a lie was one of the ways that many people shielded themselves from disappointment and pain - the two emotions she felt most of the time.

As Riley hugged her former lover, she felt the presence of a familiar blonde behind her. She released herself from the Texan’s grip and turned her attention to the girl she used to spend every waking moment with.

“Peaches?” Riley asked cautiously, unsure if they were still close enough to use nicknames.

“Who else?” Maya chuckled as she stretched her arms out to the brunette, waiting for a hesitant Riley to embrace her back.

The hug ended quickly and Riley could tell that Maya was disappointed by that.

“I mean it, Riley,” Lucas said unexpectedly. “I wished you could have come.”

“It’s fine,” Riley mumbled, looking down at her gladiator sandals.

“So how was your summer?” Lucas asked. “Did you do anything fun?”

Riley could not believe that the people she used to be extremely close with was now making small talk with her. Her friends should have already known exactly how she spent her summer. However, Maya and Lucas couldn't know what Riley did since she did not tell them anything out of embarrassment and shame. Yet, Riley still felt that if they cared about her, they would have noticed that something was up and would have come back to New York to check on her.

“My dad bought me a vinyl record player,” Riley said as the corner of her lips slightly rose.

It was true that the record player made a depressed Riley Matthews very happy. What Riley purposely omitted was that Cory and Topanga had become very concerned over Riley’s behavior. They noticed that the only thing Riley would do is listen to Lesley Gore, the Beach Boys and Dean Martin. As a way to cheer their daughter up, they decided to indulge her in her new interest by gifting her a record player. The brunette had to admit that it made her very happy when her father gave the player to her and it made her excited every time her parents took her to buy records. Although music was not enough to heal her heartbreak, it did lessen the severity of her depression.

“You have to come to see it,” Riley continued. “It’s so cool. I have forty-five records, all from the 1960s.”

“Wow,” Lucas exclaimed. “Now you’re a total bohemian chick.”

“Yeah, I am,” Riley said, feeling herself smile.

“You just need a crown of flowers in your hair,” Maya said and then added, “I wish you would have told me about your new record obsession. I would have brought you back some records from Texas. There’s a ton of brick and mortar shops that sell exclusively folk and country music.”

Riley nodded.

“What else is new?” Maya asked. “You know, we barely talked this summer.”

“That was mostly my fault,” Lucas jumped in as he placed his arm around the blonde, pulling her close to him. He unaware started rubbing her shoulder.

Riley may not have had a problem with her ex and best friend dating but she felt awkward always being the third wheel with the two. The two were always kissing, holding hands and touching each other. Public displays of affection were already awkward for bystanders but it was especially uncomfortable to Riley knowing that Lucas would have never been that affectionate to her. It made her sad comparing herself to the happy couple in front of her.

“I’ll have to make that up to you as well,” he added.

“Lucas, it’s fine,” Riley stated. “Maya and I haven't been that close all year.”

Maya nodded.

“Yeah, I am sorry about that,” Maya apologized. “I didn’t mean for that to happen. We need to hang out like we used to.”

It was hard for Riley to force herself to smile and seem pleasant when she wanted to run and cry. She knew that Maya meant what she said but it did not help change Riley’s feelings of abandonment. All Riley could think of was how she waited by the phone, patiently for both her crush and Maya’s text messages all summer. When Riley did finally receive a text from Maya, it made Riley upset hearing how much fun Maya was having in Texas or how she was so in love. For the recently heartbroken teenager, it was hard seeing her best friend have the time of her life while she spent the summer friendless and crying over a person that completely rejected her.

“Really?” Riley asked. Her excitement surprised her.

“Definitely,” Maya answered.

“Well, we need to add Farkle in as well,” Riley said. “We can go to my house today and I can show you all my new records.”

“That sounds fun but I can’t today,” Maya said.

“I have to go home and take all of the stuff Maya bought from Texas to her place,” Lucas said, mostly towards Maya. He playfully shook his head, the two exchanging grins.

“Well, how am I supposed to enjoy hee haw land if I didn’t buy new clothes?” Maya asked, then added in an overly dramatic tone. “What would the locals have thought if they saw a city girl musing around the ranch or the bull farm or the -”

“Still with the hee haw stuff?” Lucas asked, playfully leaning in closer to the blonde beauty, staring at her directly in the eye.

“Yeah.”

“Oh really?”

“Oh definitely.”

“What am I going to have to do to change your mind?”

“Oooh, Ranger Rick. I can think of a looottttt of things.”

Riley groaned, interrupting their conversation, forcing the pair in front of her turned her attention back to the brunette. It was for the best that she did. She knew that Maya would have said something that made Lucas blush and the two would have started going back and forth until Lucas was too embarrassed to say something back.

“Well, how about tomorrow?” Riley asked, holding on to hope that she would be able to get her best friend back.

“Oh, I’m taking an art class at NYC on Tuesdays and Thursdays,” Maya stated.

“Wednesday?” Riley asked.

“This Wednesday’s no good,” Maya notified. “Lucas and I are going to binge-watch Stranger Things.”

“Can I join?” Riley asked.

“It’s more of a couple’s thing.”

“Oh,” Riley mumbled. “How about Friday?”

“My family invited her's over for dinner,” Lucas answered.

“Saturday or Sunday?” Riley asked once last time.

“That’s date night,” Maya said. “And Shawn is taking me out earlier to practice my photography.”

“Maybe Sunday could work,” Lucas said.

“What?” Maya asked Lucas. “Wow, I thought cowboys had a good memory.”

“What did I forget?” Lucas asked.

Maya shot him a look and then signaled him to come closer. Riley watched in silence as Maya whispered in his ear, noticing the way Lucas's eyes brighten.

“Sorry Riles,” Lucas said. “Maybe next Monday.”

“Yeah, next Monday,” Riley whispered as she forced herself to smile.

She sighed, knowing that there will be more excuses for next week.

When Maya had downtime, she generally spent time with Lucas. It had been two years since Maya and Lucas started dating and they spent a lot of time together. Although Lucas originally had decided to date Riley in their freshmen year, it was clear to all three teenagers that Lucas and Maya were meant to be. Riley realized that she no longer had feelings for him and encouraged Lucas and Maya to date instead. It was clear to Riley that it was the right choice since the two had such a passionate relationship with each other in comparison to Riley’s relationship with him. She knew the problem was not him, but her. She hated being single but she knew that Lucas was not the right person for her. Riley was not sure who she was meant to love or be with. All she knew was that love felt like an unattainable goal for her, especially after what happened over the summer.

The summer after her junior year was the worst summer of her life.

Riley remembered sitting on her bedroom floor, tears dripping down her cheeks as she wondered why Sarah Carpenter no longer returned her texts. Sarah was the girl with the luscious dark brown hair that flowed down to her chest, accentuating her breasts. Her thick black-framed glasses made the studious girl look positively “adorkable.”

Cory used to call Sarah his favorite student since she always came to class on time, sat in the front row and carefully took notes. Maya thought of her as the “good girl” that never disobeyed authority, rarely took risks and often quietly judged the people around her. Riley saw Sarah as someone who was very observant since she spent most of her time at school watching Maya and Riley talk, always sitting close enough to learn more about Riley’s life. She also saw her as a creative person since she enjoyed writing plays with her Hollywood director father. Most of all, Riley loved how compassionate she was since she cared a lot for the environment. And it was clear that Sarah thought of herself as the “afraid girl,” a label she gave herself when the class wrote their flaws on their forehead.

It seemed like the bashful girl had started becoming more assertive and had started pursuing more of what she wanted. It was clear to Riley that she was what Sarah wanted. Riley thought about how Sarah was the one holding her hand in the dark when the class had a field trip to the theatre; how Sarah was the one that told Riley to join the Nature Club so they could hang out more and how Sarah was the one that convinced Riley to blow off Maya for a sleepover at her house (which was a horrible decision since Maya and Riley were already growing apart). The biggest indicator that the girl in glasses liked her was that one time that Sarah was spending the day at Riley’s house.

It was the last week of their junior year when Sarah was sitting at Riley’s window, the sun shining down on her porcelain skin as Riley watched the other female stretch her arms, accidentally popping the first three buttons of her blouse open, exposing some of her creamy flesh. Riley could not help but daze at the beauty in front of her, inhaling her sweet vanilla perfume as Sabrina Claudio's "Belong To You" played in the background. There was something about that day that felt different between the two. Riley was attracted to the other girl but she knew the other girl was too apprehensive to start a relationship with another female. Riley was not accustomed to hiding her attraction to people so it did not occur to her that she had been staring at the other girl for several minutes, eyeing the other girl up and down. The romantic musings and moans of Sabrina Claudio only added to the sexual tension that Riley was feeling.

Sarah looked over at her, at first shyly, then matching the intensity of her stare. There was a hunger inside of Riley, a yearning she had not felt in a while. She wanted to directly ask Sarah out but she knew that would only scare the other girl away. It required a strategic approach yet Riley knew she did not possess the tact she needed to pull it off. Maya was the one that was good at doing stuff like that. The straightforward and impatient Riley tried to do the next best thing.

“Sarah, is it weird to say I like your face?” Riley asked still under the pretense of being playful.

Riley knew that Sarah was smart enough to decipher Riley’s true intentions. She just wanted to put the other girl at ease.

“Yeah,” Sarah quickly said. “But I like that you’re weird. You’re supposed to be weird. That’s what’s special about you.”

Riley smiled, holding back the “yay” that she wanted to cheer.

“Do you ever wonder what would happen if you did something you weren’t supposed to?” Riley asked.

“Not really,” Sarah answered as she raised an eyebrow.

“Really?” Riley asked, thinking about how her best friend would have given her a completely different answer.

Sarah nodded.

“You never even liked someone you weren’t supposed to?”

Riley saw Sarah’s eyes widened and she wondered if she pushed too far.

What?” Sarah questioned. No. If you like someone, I think you were meant to like them.”

Riley thought about what Sarah said and the intimacy of their relationship. They had only become friends after Winter break in their junior year despite always going to the same school since kindergarten. It was like something clicked and they had to spend all their time together. It was a different feeling than her relationship with Maya. There was a spark between Sarah and her, the same feeling she once felt for Lucas.

“Who are you meant to like?” Riley asked.

Sarah became quiet.

Riley laughed nervously, pushing back her long hair as her heart pumped faster in her chest.

“Because I think, you should be with someone that you are meant to like,” said Riley. She felt herself begin rambling. “People who are meant for each other should not let their fears keep them apart. My parents always said that you can feel it in your whole being - your heart, your belly even your legs when you staring at the person that the universe wants you to date.”

“I agree,” Sarah said softly. “But I don’t think I could do it.”

“If you’re scared,” Riley started, taking her time to think of what to say. “Maybe tell the person you like how you feel and see if you can take it slow. If the other person cares about you, then they will understand. Liking someone should be about building trust.”

Sarah nodded again, this time, tears appeared in her blue eyes. Riley, immediately concerned, sat next to her, pulling her close.

“What’s wrong?” she asked. “Are you okay?”

“Can I be honest?” Sarah asked.

“You can always be honest with me.”

“Don’t judge me. Okay?”

Riley nodded.

“I like someone who happens to be a girl.”

“That’s okay. I do, too.”

Sarah sat up, her eyes widened, “You do? Who?”

Riley turned her head, looking straight into her deep blue eyes and whispered, “You.”

Perhaps, this was the moment that Riley took it too far. It was hard for someone who was naturally eager as Riley to take things slow. It was against her nature. When she liked someone, she wanted to be with them. She could not help it. She was a hopeless romantic.

Riley cupped the other brunette’s face, pulling her close until their lips were inches apart. She questioned herself if that was too quick of a move.

“Do I have permission to kiss you?” Riley asked, afraid of coming on too strong to the other female.

Sarah hesitated for a moment and her eyes shifted away from Riley.

“Sarah, I am so sorry. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. I -”

“Riley?” Sarah interrupted.

“Ye-yeah?”

“For once in your life, please stop talking.”

Sarah leaned into Riley’s embrace as the two girls lips touched. The assertive brunette closed her eyes as she felt the timid girl laid her hand on Riley’s shoulder. Riley, ever so softly, brushed her lips against Sarah’s mouth, before deepening the kiss between the two. Her thumbs caressed the studious girl’s cheek as the two melted into each other.

That glorious moment, unfortunately, did not receive a repeat session since Sarah refused to look Riley in the eye the next day at school.

The last week of her junior year was one of the hardest weeks of high school. Riley spent a week, sitting between Maya and Lucas in silence as the two discussed and argued about their summer plans. It was horrible staring across the room, seeing Farkle and Smackle hold hands and listen to the debate on which museums and science centers they would visit first. That last week, Riley had a vacant stare, and could not feel her own body. It was like she was watching herself go through the motions.

This was not the first time she experienced dissociations or the first time she experienced depression. Her behavior did not go unnoticed by her friends. She remembered sitting in the cafeteria, between Maya and Lucas, feeling their eyes stare at her.

“Riles, I wish my dad would let me take all of you guys,” Lucas said. “I know how upset this is making you but he only said I can only bring one person. Unfortunately, that had to be Maya.”

Riley, still not looking at anyone, heard Maya scoff.

“Oh come on Farmer Jack,” she teased. “You know you begged your dad to bring me along.”

“I did not,” Lucas said and laughed.

“Surrreee,” Maya said before whispering, “If I don’t come, who’s gonna ride your horse?”

“Maya!” Lucas exclaimed.

Riley could see from the corner of her eye that he covered his face in embarrassment.  
  
“Gee, Mr. Cowboy,” she scolded with a fake southern accent. “I wouldn’t think a good country boy like you would have such a dirty mind.”

“Oh,” Lucas whispered. “I’m so sorry. I would never -”

“Never?” Farkle interrupted as he pushed Lucas and Riley a part to sit in between them. Riley felt herself bump into his shoulder. “Wow, I did not picture you as the puritanical sort especially with your build and facial features. According to most statistics, you should have already received a -”

“Farkle, what are you -” Lucas interrupted.

“No!” Maya cheered. “Let him finish. I want to hear what he thinks I should have done for you.”

“Maya?” Lucas questioned.

“What’s the big deal?” Maya asked. “It’s wasn’t when you asked for it.”

There was silence at the table and Riley hoped that they would stop talking and finish eating lunch. She knew that once Maya started teasing her boyfriend, she would not stop until Lucas gave her the reaction she wanted. Honestly, Riley could not care about the conversation when she could hear Sarah laughing with Darby at another table in the room. How could someone lead someone on like that? Perhaps Riley deserved it. Maybe her whole mission in life was to help other people find their soulmates. She encouraged Smackle and Farkle to date. She noticed how Lucas and Maya loved each other and gave up Lucas so he could be with the girl he was meant to be with. It made Riley feel good to help others but she wished she had someone she could love.

“I’m uncomfortable,” Lucas said. “And you are making everyone uncomfortable.”

“I’m not uncomfortable,” Farkle mentioned.

“You are probably making Riley uncomfortable,” Lucas notified.

Riley stared straight ahead, yet she could feel all eyes turn towards her. She took a deep breath and tried to put on her “happy Riley face.” She rose the corner of her mouth to smile and turned towards Lucas.

“I’m not uncomfortable,” she told him, although the forced expression on her face contradicted her statement.

“See Maya?” Lucas pointed out. “She’s uncomfortable.”

Riley used all her energy to turn her head towards Maya. The blonde was too enraptured with her favorite tit-for-tat game with her boyfriend to notice that her friend was not quite herself. Maya’s obliviousness to her best friend’s needs had become a recurring thing. Maya started spending less time with Riley and more time with Lucas, which ultimately caused Riley to start hanging out with Sarah. Riley tried to tune out Maya and Lucas since their conversation was only making Riley sadder.

“Riles, am I making you uncomfortable by talking about what Lucas like sexually?” Maya asked Riley while looking at Lucas.

Riley wanted to scream "yes." She wished she could tell Maya that it was making her feel worse to hear how happy Maya was with her former boyfriend when Riley was sitting there single and depressed. Truthfully, Riley knew she had to give up Lucas because she was never happy with him. She was sure she liked him before they started dating. Once they were officially together, her eyes always caught the attention of pretty girls when they were together. She was not sure if she was a lesbian or bisexual but she knew she wanted to do a girlfriend. Riley once again pushed her feelings back inside of her and sat there quietly, listening to Lucas and Maya's banter.

“I can’t do this,” Lucas said as he jumped up.

“According to the Psychology of Sex college course I took last semester, anger is a turn on for most men who demonstrate the form of masculinity that Lucas does,” Smackle added as she and Zay joined the table across from them.

"What does that have to -" Lucas started to say before he was cut off.

“Lucas, why you being shy when you got babe that is willing to -” Zay jumped in..

“You guys are the worse,” Lucas mumbled as he started walking away.

Riley shook her head, disagreeing with Lucas's statement. She was the worst person and it was pointless to expect someone like Sarah to like her. She tried multiple times that week to go up to Sarah and ask if they could at least be friends. No matter how hard Riley tried, Sarah avoided her and made excuses that she was too busy to talk. For the last week of her junior year, Riley spent most of her nights in tears, blaming what happened between the two girls on herself.

Once summer break started, Riley isolated herself in her bedroom. She would receive the occasional text from Maya and see the pictures that she and Lucas posted on Instagram. Farkle had visited her a couple of times along with Smackle. Her little brother had gone away to summer camp. Cory had taken over Topanga's job of running the cafe with Katy while Topanga worked on a large case with a prominent political figure in the city. In other words, Riley was alone for the entirety of the summer.

She spent too many days staring at her phone, waiting for Sarah to message her back. Riley texted her nearly every day that she was sorry and that she just wanted to be friends. She tried to visit her three times and each time she was either told that Sarah was not there or that Sarah was too busy at the moment.

There was no one she could talk to. Her parents did not know about the nature of the two's relationship. Riley had hinted to Maya that she was interested in the finer sex but Maya did not know that Riley liked Sarah. Besides, Maya was annoyed by Sarah since Sarah saw Maya as one of the "bad kids" and often called Maya by her middle name just to tease the blonde. Still, her fingers glided over her iPhone screen, questioning if she should text her best friend. Maya and Lucas were probably happily riding horses together and did not need poor ol’ Riley ruining their time with her problems.

As usual, Riley bottled up her feelings and started browsing through Spotify. She started looking through a variety of playlists until she found one categorized as teen pop, unaware that teen pop was sometimes used as the genre label for 1960’s pop music. The photo of the playlist featured a pretty blonde girl, her blue eyes looked watery as she looked down. It was odd that she was shown in the bright sun, with flowers framing her perfectly tan face. There was a connection immediately built when Riley stared at the woman. The photo represented how she often felt sad inside but happy on the outside. Once she pressed play, Lesley Gore’s “Cry Me A River” began amplifying from the phone. The first thing Riley heard was the soft strums of acoustic guitars and ukuleles, harmonized with a few piano keys to create a soft upbeat yet melancholy sound.

Into Riley’s world, she went, swaying her hips to the beat of the song. The singer’s nasal sounding timbers, the softness of her voice, captivated the New York City native in a way that made her surroundings disappear around her. Perhaps it was the juxtaposition between the upbeat sound with the defiant, angst-filled lyrics, or maybe it was that a woman from the 1960s was creating anthems for teenage girls to push the boundaries by vocalizing the turmoils of growing up as a woman in a society that forced all young girls to grow up to become delicate and subservient housewives to their husbands. Whatever it is, Riley liked it.

She tossed her hands up, twirling around as she pictured herself walking in Topanga’s and seeing Sarah there, playing chess with Darby. In this daydream, Riley looked beautiful with her hair curled, her face dazzled in the latest Jeffree Star eyeshadow and Kylie Jenner lip kit, and she had her favorite bohemian light blue skirt paired with a white blouse that accentuated her breasts. She strutted into her mother’s shop with Maya by her side, both girls giving the side-eye to Sarah.

“Riley,” the fantasy version of Maya said. She twirled around Riley in such a majestic way that her skirt releases gold sparkles into the air.

“Yes Maya,” Riley said as her gorgeous locks flowed in the wind even though both girls were indoors.

“I did not realize we were letting in mean, evil people,” Maya said while pointing at Sarah. She cracked her knuckles before saying, “Let me get rid of her.”

“It’s okay Maya,” Riley assured, placing a hand over Maya’s hands. “We can grace her with our presence.”

Maya’s blue eyes widened and she shook her head.

“Wow Honey. You are too nice. She doesn’t even deserve it,”

“I know Peaches.”

The two girls tossed their hair back before walking over to the chair table. Sarah’s dark hair was a mess all over her head and her glasses were crooked on her face. She peered nervously at the women before her.

“You know girly,” Riley said in her best tough voice. She crossed her arms to let Sarah know she was serious. “You have a lot of nerve coming here.”

“Yeah,” Maya chimed in. “A lot of nerve.”

Sarah looked down at the chessboard, nervously fidgeting with hair. She opened her mouth to speak but did not. Riley almost felt bad for the timid girl.

“Why are you here?” Riley questioned, placing a hand on her hip as her hair continued blowing seductively in the wind.

“I am sorry Riley,” Sarah said. “I was scared but I still love you.”

Before Riley fell for Sarah’s manipulation, Lesley Gore’s Cry Me A River started playing the background of Topanga’s. The words she needed to say to Sarah were the lyrics of the song.

“Now you say you love me?” Riley asked.

“I-I do,” Sarah whispered.

“You can cry me a river cause I cried one over you,” Riley stated.

It was empowering for her to say the lyrics to Sarah, to let her know that she understood that everything that was said and done between them was not real. All Riley wanted was for Sarah to understand the pain she felt after Sarah decided to completely end their friendship over a kiss. As Riley danced around in her room, fantasizing about the things she would love to say to her former crush, she felt a smile finally appear on her face. It was like she was finally able to release some of the hurt and pain she had felt. For the rest of the summer, Riley indulged in fantasies of that involved revenge, confronting Sarah and even reconciliation. She was far removed from reality and a part of her enjoyed spending all of her time in Riley’s world. A part of wondered if that was healthy for her mental health as an older teenager to spend some much time playing make-believe. If she didn’t, Riley wasn’t sure she would have been able to survive that summer.

And now, Riley was unsure how she was going to survive her senior year knowing that she had lost her friends and the girl she liked. Yes, she had her imagination and her music but she would not be able to isolate herself during school. How was she supposed to cope with seeing Sarah walking through the halls or seeing her former best friend spend all her time with her ex-boyfriend? That was a lot for one girl to handle.

She knew that growing up involved hurt and disappointment but she thought she would have at least had her best friend by her side instead of just a fantasy version of the blonde. Riley questioned several times if she should tell Maya about Sarah but she did not think that would have helped her at all.

As she stood on the steps of Abigail Adams High School, she knew that both Maya and Lucas were going to continue excluding her from their life. She wanted to hope that things would change but their refusal to make plans with her had diminished her hope. Riley’s disdain for the couple had nothing to do with jealous and she did not have any romantic feelings for Lucas anymore. It felt odd to Riley to just watch the pair swoon over each other, knowing that their relationship with each other was the very thing that ruined their friendship with her. Although Riley knew that it was not Maya’s fault for what happened between her and Sarah, a part of Riley felt like Maya was partially responsible. When Maya stopped hanging out with her, it caused Riley to become so lonely that she practically clung to Sarah. Perhaps that was what clouded her judgment and made her misinterpret Sarah’s friendliness as something romantic.

The warning bell rang, causing Lucas, Maya, and Riley to enter the building. The school year was already off to an awful start, making Riley worry if this was the last time she and Maya would even be friends.

She did not want the couple to worry about her and become suspicious of her quietness. She tried to think of something that the old Riley would say.

“We’re going to have an amazing senior year,” Riley told Lucas and Maya. “We’re going to make this year count, have so many cool experiences and do so many things together.”

“Of course,” Maya said. “We are in this together.” She held up one of her hands and pointed to her friendship ring. “Friends forever, honey.”

Maya’s words did spark hope in the downtrodden brunette yet her actions were not aligned with what she was saying. It made her statement bittersweet for Riley. Still, Riley held up her friendship ring and smiled.

“Friends forever,” Riley said.

Perhaps, she made her sadness a little too obvious while saying that.

“And hey, who knows what’s going to happen this year,” Maya said. “Maybe you’ll meet a cute guy. That would cheer you up.” She turned to Lucas. “Hey, you should introduce Riley to one of your friends.”

“I’ll do that,” Lucas said. “How does that sound, Riley? I owe you anyway. I know how sad it made you that I was not allowed to bring you with me to Texas.”

That did not sound good to Riley. She was not interested in dating anyone but Sarah. Although Sarah made her so angry and upset, she still had feelings for her and a part of her wanted to hold onto hope that Sarah would change her mind. The other part of her, the wiser and more mature part of her knew that Sarah would never do that.  
  
“I’m not interested in anyone at the moment,” Riley said. “I rather focus on our friendship as we used to.”

Riley cracked a forced smile as Maya before immediately spinning around and walking towards the bathroom. She went over to the sink, placing her hands on the white porcelain while looking down at the silver drain. This was too much for Riley to handle. There were so many emotions going through her head. She wished she could go into her bedroom, lock the door and delve into her fantasy world like she did all summer. Unfortunately, she could not. She heard the bathroom door swing open behind her and could tell by the familiar clicking sounds of heels that it was Maya.

“Riley, what’s wrong?” Maya asked.

Riley looked up in the mirror as Maya walked up behind her. The brunette spun around, facing the blonde.

“We aren’t going to be friends much longer,” Riley whispered as she fidgetted with the hem of her shirt.

Maya stared at Riley for a moment, her eyes searching for some clue to what her friend was referring to. Riley realized that her statement caught her friend off guard and recognized how her declaration saddened her best friend.

“Why?" Maya asked, taking a step forward and lowering her voice. "What happened?”

“You and Lucas happened," Riley said while shaking her head. She looked up into the reformed bad girl's eyes and said, "You spend all your time together and completely forget about me.”

Maya nodded.

“That’s not true, Riley," she said while reaching out to grab Riley's hand, only to be rejected by the brunette. "I love you.”

“Don’t say that if you don’t mean that,” Riley stated, coming off more hurt than angry.

This only seemed to confuse to blonde.

“You’re scaring me," she exclaimed. "What happened?”

“Lucas happened. After you and Lucas spent Christmas together last year, you completely stopped being my friend. We stopped hanging out.”

Maya sighed.

“Riley, I’m sorry. He’s my first boyfriend and that was when we had our first time. Our relationship is a lot more serious then -”

“Then, when I dated him?”

Maya paused for a second, staring at Riley. The abrasiveness of the brunette seemed to catch the other girl off guard.

“Is it bothering you that I am dating your ex?”

“Yeah."

“I’m sorry Riles. You told me years ago that it was okay to date him. We have been together for two years and four months. We can’t just end things now.”

Rile shrugged her shoulders, feeling her eyes begin to water.

“I don’t care about Lucas. I just want my best friend back. You left me alone for months and I had no one. While you were having a perfect summer with your perfect boyfriend, I spent the whole summer in my room crying. I had no one to talk to and tell what happened. It was horrible Maya and I am still confused.”

“Riley, please tell me what happened.”

Maya took a step closer to Riley. She looked frightened.

“I don’t know how but it's hard because I did not tell anyone that I liked her.”

“Her?”

Tears started dripping down Riley's face. She felt like she was reliving the whole ordeal over again as she tried recalling it. It hurt when she thought about the times Sarah and her laid in the bed, talking about all their plans for the future such as college, moving out the city and traveling the world. The image of Sarah's blues eyes, gazing deeply into hers made Riley cry. Oh, how she missed her and how she wished things turned out different. All the pain intensified when she thought about how Maya knew nothing about Sarah and her's relationship.

“She became my best friend after you abandoned me," Riley said through her tears. "One day, we kissed and she abandoned me as well.”

Riley closed her eyes to prevent tears for shedding. She felt herself being embraced by Maya. It felt nice to have someone to hold her. She could feel the blonde's warmth against her and it felt nice.

“I am so sorry," she heard Maya whisper. "I didn’t even know you were bi.”

“I am not sure what I am," Riley answered honestly. "I just wanted her.”

Maya pulled away and for the first time in a while, Riley could see the tears forming in her eyes. Riley understood that Maya did not mean to leave Riley and that she realized how much she hurt Riley by not investing enough time in their relationship.

“Who is she?" Maya asked. "Maybe we could -”

“She’ll never like me back," Riley interrupted. It’s not as easy for another girl to go around and say that she has a girlfriend.”

“You’re amazing Riley. She’ll have to come around.”

“During the last week of junior year, she ghosted me. I reached out to her all summer and even went to her house. She doesn't want me. It’s been months I have no one. I don’t know what I keep doing wrong.”

Maya eyebrows raised, shaking her head.

“Do you remember what you told me on the ski lodge,” Maya said. “ You said if there's one thing I'm sure of in my life is that you are my extraordinary relationship. And we can still have that. I was wrong to you. I will never prioritize a guy over my best friend. Let’s hang out at your place tonight.”

Riley smiled, wishing that Maya's words were true.

“What about Lucas?” she asked, unsure if she should allow herself to be excited about spending the day with her best friend.

“He’ll understand.”

The two girls hugged and for the first time in a while, Riley felt like she had her best friend back. Her faith was renewed and she now allowed herself to fully believe that her senior year would be her best year of high school. Although Riley could not be with the girl she liked, at least she had her best friend. As the two girls started walking towards the bathroom's exit door, she heard a stall swing open. She quickly looked behind her, her eyes widened when she saw the familiar brunette with the thick black eyeglasses. Riley stood still, her heart stopped as she laid eyes on the girl that she once shared a kiss with. She watched as Sarah walked over to the sink, washing her hands and then turned to look at the two girls as she placed her hands under the hand dryer.

"Sarah," Maya scorned, unaware that the girl Riley was referring to was Sarah.

"Penelope," Sarah said crossing her arms.

Maya took Riley's hand and said, "C'mon Riley, let's go."

Riley stood still, staring at Sarah, waiting for her crush to at least acknowledge her presence.

"Hi Riley," Sarah said, still refusing to look her in the eye.

"Sarah," Riley began. "We need to talk."

Sarah nodded, walking over to Riley. She stopped just in front her, her arms lowering as she looked down at Riley's sandals.

"Nice shoes," Sarah said.

"Sarah, you really hurt me," Riley said."You were my friend and friends aren't supposed to hurt each other. Why did you just leave me like that?"

"It's Sarah?" Maya asked Riley.

"Yeah," Riley answered.

"You gotta lot of nerve treating Riley like that," Maya said taking a step closer to the other brunette. "She isn't some experiment. She's a person with feelings who wants love."

Sarah nodded.

"Riley, I'm -" Sarah started then stopped.

"What were you going to say?" Riley asked.

"Probably sorry," Maya mumbled.

Sarah shook her head. She took a brave step forward, finally looked Riley in the eye and cupped her face.

Riley's heart began beating faster in her chest, unsure of what to do since she did not want to repeat what happened last time. She could feel Sarah's hands trembling as she watched the bashful girl close and eyes and lean forward. Riley automatically closed her eyes as she felt a pair of lips brushed against hers. Sarah's lips felt soft against hers as the studious girl lovingly embraced Riley's lips, making the bubbly brunette melt against her embrace. Once the kiss ended, Riley rested her forehead against Sarah's.

"Are you serious this time?" Riley asked.

"As long as you forgive me," Sarah said.

"Well, I'll leave you two lovebirds alone," Riley heard Maya said as she heard the sound of the bathroom door closing.

"You're going to be late for class," Riley informed Sarah, knowing how much school was important to her.

"I don't care," Sarah said as she kissed Riley again.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading this story. Please leave a review or favorite the story if you enjoyed it.
> 
> This was what I imagined what season six of Girl Meets World would have looked like. I know Rowan Blanchard would have asked to include more diversity on the show in terms of sexual orientation and I feel like they would have made one of the backgrounds characters her girlfriend instead of Maya. I chose Sabrina Carpenter's sister since Sarah was in many of the episodes and had a few lines during the show. I hope you liked it.


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